


Port in the storm

by Blueyedgurl



Series: Fluffy one shots [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Mentions of reylo babies, Miscommunication, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:02:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25436617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueyedgurl/pseuds/Blueyedgurl
Summary: @reylo_prompts  Rey pretends to be afraid of thunderstorms so she has an excuse to sleep next to Ben.  Ben figures it out when he races home early after seeing thunder, fearing Rey will be crying alone curled up in a ball, only to find her totally chill and eating ice cream.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Fluffy one shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849954
Comments: 22
Kudos: 202
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	1. Chapter 1

Ben and Rey had been roommates for about a year and friends for about 4 years before that. They had met in school and when Ben moved from Colorado to the East Coast for a job Rey wasn’t far behind him. He didn’t mind, she didn’t have a lot of friends that weren’t already paired off. Having grown up in the foster system didn’t really have a family, unless you included his parents doting on her anytime they were in her orbit. 

They hadn’t lived together before but he remembered the few times in the dorms where she’d get nervous during a storm and would curl up next to him on the futon while they watched a movie or played cards with Finn and Rose. He didn’t think anything of it really. He just draped his arm around her and continued playing his Euchre hand, he was certain him and Finn had that win secured but boy was he wrong.

So, things continued like that through college. He hung out with Rey, Rose, and Finn, while continuing to be Rey’s port in the storm. He was her rock her safe harbor and he didn’t mind. Well, he did. He wasn’t blind or unfeeling. He cared about Rey, but she always just acted like he was her friend. He wasn’t willing to risk their friendship over drunken fumblings, nor risk telling her how he felt only to alienate her. He’d rather have her in his life as just a friend than not at all. Anytime he made this point with his dad, his dad would just snort at him, call him an idiot and take a sip of his beer.

He thought she was dating Poe for a while, they were thick as thieves it seemed, until Poe brought around Hux and the pieces seemed to click into place for him. Then he thought maybe he had misunderstood Rey when she started hanging out with Kaydel, only for him to walk into that bathroom at that house party to see Kaydel making out with Phasma. But by then they were four months out from graduation and Ben had his job offer in North Carolina and Rey was going to take an apprenticeship in Denver. 

After they graduated, Rey and him texted daily and by the time he was out there 6 months Rey had asked if she could move out there with him. He did have a two bedroom he couldn’t come up with a logical reason to say no. He didn’t want to. He had the space and he missed her. So as soon as her lease was up his spare room became her room. She was lucky that she had found a software development job that let her work from wherever she wanted to live.

He didn’t mind that she listened to dance music loudly while she cleaned. He didn’t mind that she was always asking him to taste whatever she was cooking from the spoon she was holding. It did bother him that she was always wearing the tiniest shorts, he swore she didn’t have those before. But just like when they were in Colorado and the storms came, he found her curled up against him. Sometimes on the couch and very occasionally she was the little spoon in his bed. It was those moments in the dark, when he was trying to angle his hips away from her that he really wished she’d not wear those shorts. It wasn’t as if he disliked them, per say. It was more that he wanted to build a shrine and pray at them every night before bed. Well, pray being the operative word. 

But the past year of living in North Carolina during hurricane season was a whole new experience for Rey and her fear of storms. Ben kicked himself for even going to work that morning as rain started to come in around noon. It wasn’t bad yet, a few scattered showers, but by 3pm lightning and high winds had started. He made his excuses and ducked out of work early racing home to try to be there for her before things got too bad. He nearly hydroplaned in that big intersection and took it a bit easier after that. 

He raced up the stairs to their apartment, half expecting to find her curled up in his sweater and under a blanket from his bed. He was surprised when he found her on the couch a bowl of ice cream in one hand, the other bringing the spoon to her mouth. She seemed frozen in time, watching him watch her eyes as big as saucers.

He was perplexed. 

She finally seemed to come out of her shock.

“Ben you’re home!” She choked out in surprise, the spoon dripping ice cream onto the front of her sweater.

“I came as soon as the storm started to get bad.” He said a bit breathless from his jog up 4 flights of stairs, terrified he’d get stuck in the elevator. He was unable to cover up the tone of hurt. Maybe she didn’t really need him, maybe she wasn’t scared of storms and just wanted him to feel like a manly protector. Did she pity him? He knew he could be awkward and that his track record with women who weren’t Rey was abysmal. He swore he heard her say she felt safe when he was there with her. Had he misunderstood her? He was beginning to feel like an idiot. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, albeit a bit stiffly, his eyes flitting to the windows where the curtains were drawn open and they sky was putting on quite the light show.

“Yeah, I just got done with work actually. If I’d known you were gonna get home early I would have cooked something.” She finally seemed to remember her spoon and set it down in the bowl, fussing over the chocolate stain on her top.

“I was worried you’d be upset. You missed the bulk of the bad storms last season and I didn’t want you to be home alone.” 

“Oh.” Her mouth frozen in an “O” of sad surprise. Maybe this all just meant more to him than her. He could feel himself spiraling, he hadn’t felt like this since he caught her sitting on Poe’s lap at that party. 

“I’m going to go change.” He said abruptly needing an excuse to leave. He had made it to his room when he heard Rey’s footsteps coming down the hall. He swiftly shut the door, unable to face her in his moment of embarrassment and shame.

“Ben.” She said softly before knocking. “Are you ok?” Her voice wobbled, she must really have felt bad for him.

“Just a minute, I’ll be out in a minute.” He rushed out, feeling suddenly choked up.

“Ben, please come out. I need to talk to you.”

She was leaving he knew it. The lease would be coming to a close soon and she’d be leaving. 

His world tilted on its axis. He hated having moved out here without her, but he managed. At the time he thought it was for the best, he could move on. Now that he had her all to himself, for nearly a year, he couldn’t imagine being without her. He watched his life shrivel on the vine, work and dinners for one like that first year were back. Why did his skin feel so tight? How was he going to survive it? Especially after a year of Rey’s smiles and laugh and her scary attempts at baking. He was truly panicking now sitting on the bed, hunched over with his hands on his knees, his face hidden in his palms.

He didn’t know when she walked in and sat next to him. Just that one moment he was alone on his death bed talking about the girl he once loved, the girl who got away and the next moment Rey was in front of him holding him to her chest. He didn’t know when he put his arms around her waist but there she was. His arms full of her and he hated himself a little bit for not being stronger.

“I’m sorry.” He heard her say through the fog.

“Pardon?” He was so confused. How did they get here? How did everything come crashing down around them so quickly?

“I’m sorry I lied to you, please don’t be mad.” He looked up at her finally, tears streaming down her face and a genuine look of panic. She looked blurry to him and he realized it was because his eyes were wet with his own tears.

He pinched his arm expecting himself to wake from this twilight zone nightmare day. Did he die when he hydroplaned? Was he in hell? It might be hell. No because Hell was a world that didn’t have Rey’s smiles or her weird obsession with turning everything into nachos or her curling up with him when it stormed. The world that he could pretend for just a fraction of a moment of everyday that it was his real life.

“I took it too far and I’m sorry please don’t hate me.”

“Hate you for what?” Maybe this was purgatory, Rey was here but wildly unhappy and there was a constant fog of confusion. Yes, that sounded like what his purgatory would be, it was really the parts of his life he could pretend in. Moments like this one.

“For lying.” Her tears were sliding freely down her cheeks and chin and dripped down between them. He had a sudden vision of Alice flooding the Foyer.

“I don’t understand. You didn’t do anything wrong it’s my fault I put so much pressure on you.” He pleaded to her. Rey was rarely sad, the few time she had been he had threated to tear apart whatever was causing it. Her math professor, Christmas alone, that one time she was upset because she thought some boy didn’t like her. He didn’t understand how anyone couldn’t love her. He loved her and he loved very few things.

She shook her head as if confused and Ben tilted his head at the odd sensation of it, like when you enter a room and forgot why you went in there. He didn’t understand why Rey was confused.

“Ben, you didn’t make me feel pressured to do anything, what are you talking about?” He let out a heavy sigh.

“To make me feel better, feel useful.” She sniffled and put her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking, she was really crying now. He was a horrible human being. His parents should have thrown him to the wolves at that preservation park when he was 15 like his dad threatened.

Only she wasn’t crying, she was laughing. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter and he could hear the muffled sounds of it in her hands.

At that moment, as if the world couldn’t get more confusing, everything went dark. It took him about 10 seconds too long to realize that it was the power that had gone out. 

Rey was straight up cackling now. Maybe she was a witch, and this was some spell gone completely wrong. Maybe he was in a coma in some delirious fever dream. Did he hit his head today? He couldn’t remember.

“Mind telling me what’s so funny?” This was not the first time he had requested this of Rey. The first time was when she had been up for a 20-hour day, with only 2 hours of sleep and she laugh so hard she cried for about 30 minutes. Any time he asked her to tell him what was going on she would just laugh harder, becoming so breathless he was concerned for her wellbeing. He learned after that that he could either chuckle along, it was quite contagious, or be silent. Questions and annoyance only made her laugh harder.

He felt her weight press down onto the bed and she leaned into him, her head on his shoulder. It was soothing, even if it might be to say goodbye.

“We’re both idiots, just like your mom likes to tell me.”

“No, my dad likes to say that, but I didn’t know he told you that too.”

“Well, then they both say it because we’re both idiots. I’m not afraid of storms I just like being close to you… always have.” The last part was said in a whisper, like a secret. He liked secrets with Rey, he didn’t want secrets from Rey anymore.

Maybe he should just come out and say it. He wrapped his arm around her, hoping she wouldn’t disappear like smoke. She felt real. Her felt her chest rise and fall with her breaths.

“Rey, I like being near you, too. I hated the year that you weren’t here.” Her breathing stopped momentarily before she took in a deep breath. It was still dark, and he wished he could see her face to see what she was thinking. 

He felt her hand on his cheek before he felt the pressure of her turning him to face her, then her mouth was on his. Maybe this wasn’t Hell or Purgatory, maybe this was Heaven.

He kept his arm around her and touched her face with his hand. His thumb brushed over her cheek and his fingers brushed over her ear before diving into her hair, it all just reminded him how small she was compared to him. Their kiss deepened and suddenly Rey was in his lap and he was scooting them up the bed toward the pillows. Rey’s hips were flush with his and she let out little mewls and giggles with his movements. If it was anyone else, he might be self-conscious, but it really only meant that she was happy and that was enough. There was a loud crack of thunder that seemed to startle them both, only for Rey to dissolve into more giggles while she tugged Ben’s work shirt out of his pants, her teeth nipping his lip in her eagerness to get him out of his clothes. 

His hands stopped their exploration of her hips and ass to help her. He was raised to be a gentleman, after all. When she seemed satisfied with the removal of his button up and undershirt his fingers skated across the bottom hem of her sweater to lift it over her head.

“You got chocolate on it, better get it off before it stains.” He whispered into her mouth. She nodded, her nose brushing up against his and she lifted her arms so he could take it off. His fingers felt their way down her arms, taking in the shape of her shoulders and the valley of her spine before cupping her ass and pressing her into him. 

Rey let out a moan and his skin tingled with arousal, it was the same and yet better than when she bit into food she enjoyed. She ground into him on her own then, rubbing along the length of his cock trapped in his khakis and he broke away with a groan. She pushed him back against the headboard getting up on her knees, only then did he realize she was trying to take off her leggings. He really wished the lights would come back on so he could see her better. He wanted to map out her freckles and memorize the swell of her curves. Next time. God, he hoped there would be a next time. 

When she was satisfied with her state of dress she settled back into his lap and his arms were full of her. He held her to him just to relish in her chest pressing against his. 

When his hands moved down to cradle her hips, he realized she wasn’t wearing underwear. 

“Fuck, Rey.” She let out a giggle at his loss of composure.

“Manners, Benjamin.” She said teasingly in his ear. He let out a growl and flipped her, so she was on her back, her silhouette suddenly illuminated by the storm that was now raging outside. He towered over her and took in what he could, the curve of her hips, the pert nipples that were begging for attention. 

He decided on removing his pants first, not wanting to be interrupted again. His socks and underwear were quick to follow. He crawled over Rey and she welcomed him with open arms.

It felt so good to settle into the cradle of her hips, his mouth meeting hers, their tongues sliding against one another. This is where he should have been the past 5 years and he was going to make this moment count, maybe she’d stay, maybe she’d never leave. Maybe he could be hers. That’s all he wanted, really.

He kissed down her jaw and throat, nibbling and sucking his way across her collar bone. She squirmed against him, pressing herself against the erection that was pressed between them. 

He let out a hiss of pleasure biting a bit harder than he had planned. She gasped out at the sting and he was quick to soothe it with his tongue.

“Sorry.” He whispered into her skin.

“Mnm. I liked it.” He thrusted against her giving her the friction she had been seeking and moved lower scooting down the bed to suck on her tits. She had always complained about the being too small, but he didn’t see it. They were the perfect little palmfuls he knew they would be. He had always wondered if he could fit a whole one into his mouth, especially when she wore those tight little tank tops. He’d make a shrine to those too. After.

He licked her nipple while his other hand pinched the nipple of her other breast, not wanting either one to feel left out. She moaned and mewled bucking against him and he noted that she like the breast play. He finally sucked the one into his mouth to sate his curiosity, amongst other things. It really was the perfect size for him before letting it go with a pop. Her fingers were in his hair now, tugging him back to give her breast more attention. Who was he to deny her?

He experimented a bit with licks and nibbles, blowing on them, letting his teeth tease across them. She really did seem to enjoy all of it. He kissed over to her other breast, switching sides circling his tongue around her nipple, she gave a hard tug to his hair and he filed it a way. He teased and nibbled a bit more before licking and sucking his way down her stomach to her pussy.

She wasn’t shaved and he nuzzled the soft curls.

“Sorry. I didn’t…”  
He gave a long lick along her labia to convey that it didn’t matter to him. He tasted just the barest hint of salt and musk. He really didn’t understand why people had an aversion to this. Not when she was bucking against his mouth, seeking her pleasure. He found the little nub of her clit and circled it giving it gradual attention before spreading her open with his thumbs to give her more direct stimulation. He hoped there would be a time in the future where she could ride his face, he could die happily like that.

As he worked her, her wetness started to coat her inner thighs and he added his fingers to give more friction, fucking her with one hand and circling her clit with his thumb of the other, his hand splayed over her belly. His eyes hungrily watched her squirm and writhe, the lightning illuminating her just so.

She was a feast and he was a man starved. She was really all he ever wanted nobody, nothing, had compared to her. He couldn’t remember the last time he went on a date he didn’t want to either. 

He added another finger bringing her up to three and she hissed at the stretch, so he slowed allowing her to adjust before curling them to add pressure. He wanted to make her come, make her a writhing mess. She was bucking wildly now, his tongue licking her clit before wrapping his lips around it and giving it a suck. She stiffened and bucked underneath him in release. She let go a series of words that were inaudible with her thighs around his head. When she had ridden it out to the end and had relaxed enough to release him, he wiped his mouth and chin on the back of his hand before kissing his way up her body. She shuddered with the contact to her skin, still sensitive from her orgasm. He nestled in the cradle of her hips again, kissing her mouth gently, letting her come back to earth. 

“Mmm.”

It was then that it hit him.

“Shit, Rey I don’t have condoms.” She blinked up at him and he dropped his head defeatedly against her shoulder.

“Well, I’m clean and have an IUD, if you are ok with that.”

It took a moment for her words to compute and not equate her implant with an explosive device.

“Really? I’m clean, are you sure?”

She nodded. “I’m sure.”

He kissed her and moved her legs around his hips to get a better angle. He got up on his knees so he could thrust against her better, coating himself in her wetness.

“You’re sure?” He asked his tip pressed to her entrance, waiting for her approval before pressing in.

“Yes.” She whined and moved trying to do the work for him. 

“Shhh, baby I’ve got you.” He soothed before pushing into her. She was wet, and warm and tight. When he was sheathed completely inside he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“So, perfect.” He whispered to her as he lowered himself down to his elbows so he could kiss her. He rocked against her experimentally allowing her to adjust to him, he knew that he was a bit larger than average. She moaned against his mouth and tried moving against him and he knew she was ready.

He arched over her trying to find an angle that felt good for her. He balanced on one hand while the other cupped her breasts and tweaked her nipples. Her hands roamed his back before coming to rest at his waist, her nails digging in at particularly good thrusts.

“Fuck, Rey. You feel so good.” He gritted out as he thrusted into her. He realized a few moments in that he wasn’t going to last long. That he was out of practice and she was too perfect and good and everything he ever wanted. 

“Shit, Rey. I need you to come. Help me make you come.” She moved her hand down between them to circle her clit and he felt her muscles spasming around his cock, trying to milk him, pull him in deeper. He increased his pace, hoping she had enough time.

“Can I come in you? I wanna come in you.” He mumbled out, imagining her leaking with his spend nearly sent him over the edge, but he held himself back.

“Yes, please, please, please.” 

He thrusted up into her once, twice, three more times before holding himself as deep inside her as he could go, his release crashing into him and he couldn’t tell if he was pulsing inside of her or she was rippling around him and it was perfect and everything. He thrust slowly a few times more to extend their pleasure before half collapsing on top of her. He dropped kisses to her shoulder, his forehead beaded with sweat. 

He slipped out of her before rolling to his side, not wanting to crush her. He cupped her face before kissing her cheek and came to the awareness that she may like a towel or something for the mess that was leaking between her thighs.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be right back.” He got up and wandered to their shared bathroom across the hall, turning on the faucet to allow the water to heat before wetting a washcloth. He hurried back quickly and gently wiped down what had to be a sticky, tacky mess between her thighs and pressed a kiss to her lips before he tossed the washcloth in the hamper. He got back into bed next to her and pulled her close so she was half laying on him, her leg draped over and between his own. She seemed quiet.

“Rey?” He asked worried that maybe she had regrets. His fingers circled nervously over her shoulder blade.

“How long?” She asked, rather firmly. He didn’t know he could simultaneously dread and be so confident in an answer.

“Since, before that first Euchre night.” She lifted her head up, lightning crashed again, and she looked sad.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She asked mournfully.

“I wasn’t sure you felt the same way. Then there was Poe, and Kaydel… I didn’t realize you weren’t actually dating them right away. But then, so much time had passed, I was afraid I’d lose you if you knew. I’m sorry.” He held her tighter, hoping to convey what he felt. Did they really just waste 5 years? Images of her over the years flashed before him and he felt like an idiot. He shuddered at the idea of his dad being right.

She cupped his cheek and let her fingers slide through his hair, turning his mouth down to kiss her.

“Don’t be sorry. I didn’t say anything either.” She said softly. “I thought that I could get your attention with subtle touches and hints. That’s why I snuggled with you on euchre night, I thought I could get your attention. Then when you assumed that I was afraid of storms, I just went with it. It gave me a reason to snuggle up to you, to touch you. I did feel safe, I never got much of that as a kid and I guess I leaned into that.”

“Did you move out here to be with me?” He asked, afraid of the answer.

“A little. Partly I was lonely and not really finding a place I fit there. Poe and Hux are great and all, but I can’t handle the two of them all of the time.” She shifted, snuggled in, he adjusted to hold her better, her head tucked under his chin. 

“I did genuinely miss you, even if I couldn’t be with you. Although, I have to admit I’ve been trying to push your buttons a bit.”

“Those fucking shorts.” Be says a little louder than he intended. Rey let out a peel of laughter and he rolled her onto her back and pinned her there. “I knew they existed to torture me.” He grumbled brushing her hair away from her neck so he could lay kisses and nibbles there. 

She hummed contentedly. “The tank tops, too.”

He palmed her breast then. “They didn’t go unnoticed.”

“What do we do now?” She asked suddenly, he could hear her worry and longed to soothe it.

“Whatever you want. I only want you. I’ve only ever wanted you, but not if you don’t want me.” He rested his head on her breast running his fingers along her arm to twine their fingers together and rest them over her stomach.

“I want you, too.” He felt a grin slide across his cheeks and raised up to kiss her. His arms bracketed her his elbows rested on either side of her head. His hands were in her hair. He peppered kisses on her brow, her nose her cheeks her chin. Rey a mess of giggles under him before he kissed her mouth, quieting her for a moment. 

Suddenly Ben had an idea and shot out of bed and grabbed his phone out of his pants pocket and stormed off to Rey’s room. 

“Where are you going?” She called out after him

He popped his head back into the doorway. “Just a quick thing, and I’ll be back.”

It didn’t take him long to find what he was searching for. Rey was great at folding laundry and terrible at putting it away. He walked back to his room with his prize in hand. He walked over to his dresser and moved over the things in the top drawer, he knew he was being ridiculous but didn’t care. Being ridiculous usually had its rewards where Rey was concerned.

He set his phone on the dresser so the flashlight would point toward the ceiling creating a glow around the room.

“These stay here now.” He said holding up her sleep shorts and a tank top before putting them in his drawer and shutting it.

Rey giggled, but it was the kind that meant she felt touched and was too afraid to be vulnerable, like when his parents insisted on flying her out to them on her first Christmas break with him.

He shut his phone off and went to her and adjusted them so he could spoon her. He was half hard again but ignored and just held her. 

She never went to sleep in her own bed again after that, it was fine with him. A few weeks later when they finally decided to face the fire and told their friends and his family, they were met with everything ranging from an ‘about time’ from Finn to ‘about fucking time’ from Leia. 

They got married during hurricane season, luckily Ben’s uncle had been ordained on the internet for just the occasion, his parents were witnesses, not willing to miss it for the world. His parents argued over who lost the bet about which one of them made the first move. Rey beamed the whole time, even when the power went out. 

Now anytime a storm raged outside Ben would find Rey curled next to him on the couch or he would wake up, only to be draped around her in the bed. Only now he knew it was because she was scared. Now as that the storms raging outside it left them so calm because they knew they had each other. It was their beginning, their middle, and their present and every time the lightning clapped it reminded them of how they ended up here. 


	2. Rey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's side of things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know. I said complete but then I felt Rey's side needed telling, despite the sloppy editing style

Rey

She awoke to the sounds of a summer storm and she hummed contentedly, Ben was already wrapped around her in his sleep and she felt content. Sometimes she really regretted missing out on those 5 years. Other times she didn’t, it gave their story character and they got a chance to know each other in ways that other people didn’t.

It started by accident that first time while they all played euchre. That clap of thunder had startled all of them, not just her. It’s just that Ben was really terrible about not showing the whole room his cards. She had just leaned over for a little bit of a peak and when that thunder crashed she just kind of tipped farther into him than what she intended. But he just seemed to accept her presence, pulled her in tighter, and asked if she was okay. Admittedly, she may have been a bit breathless, but she was fine. It had nothing to do with the weather.

Then he just kept at it. Like the time they were watching movies and it started thundering he just scooted closer and practically scooped her up into his side. She didn’t see any harm in letting him continue, she liked the feel of him pressed into her. It felt nice to be cared for. She couldn’t remember the last time someone did that without expectations. He didn’t even try to feel her up, it was both disappointing and relieving that he wasn’t that kind of guy. 

Then there was the time when they got severe storm warning alerts in the middle of the night. It was her chance to make her move, she packed a bag and swung open her door to find him drenched and standing there hand raised in a fist as if he was about to knock she just stepped aside and let him in. It was really, quite comical having his long, lanky frame in her twin bed with her. She could have sworn that as she drifted off to sleep, he had pressed a kiss to her hair.

But then the next night there was that party, where Poe tugged her into his lap and sang to her. She blushed and laughed. She didn’t see any harm in it, they worked together, and she knew he was gay. So, when Ben was stomping and sulking around the party looking like a storm cloud, she just assumed it was because he hated coming to these things. But he was a bit more distant after that, hang outs were less and he didn’t arrive at her door the next time there was a storm. 

Things seemed to get better around finals. She attributed his distance to his course schedule being too much. But then he learned she’d be alone for Christmas and invited her to his parents’ ski lodge about an hour away. After some persuasion on his part that she wouldn’t be in the way, she agreed. His parents did seem very nice the one time she had met them. 

She was wrong, they weren’t just nice they were lovely, and she found herself envying Ben just a little.

Her and Han bonded over the car collection he had back in Chicago and Leia taught her how to make a cake from scratch. She felt like she family there and when there was a blizzard Ben snuck into her room and curled up around her like everything was still like it was. She did try to put up a fuss and said snowstorms weren’t the same but she still tugged him back when he acted a bit dejected and tried to get up to leave. She could pretend for just a moment that this was her life. It was the best sleep she had in weeks.

Then school started, that semester was hectic. She barely had anytime to sleep let alone spend time with Ben. Then over the summer she was spending a lot of time with Kaydel. They would act touchy at the bar in order to get free drinks, it worked out well. Kaydel’s girlfriend didn’t even mind. Anything to get one over on a drunk guy at a bar was Phasma’s motto, although she preferred to beat them at arm wrestling. 

Ben was distant again around that time, too. He had an internship and was planning out his senior project so she knew that he just didn’t have the time. It was fine, really. She had other friends to hang out with. 

She noticed that storms just made her sad.

Then graduation came and everything was a whirlwind. Ben told her that he was going to move out to North Carolina and her heart sunk. She had never been out of Colorado and hadn’t planned on leaving. Not that she really had any good reason to stay. She was looking at jobs in Denver and Boulder, figuring it’d be easy enough to find housing. She really just tried not to think about it too much. A week before graduation she had her job lined up and her lease signed. She hung out with Ben and he just seemed so flat that she tried to cheer him up a bit. She reminded him that she’d see him at his parent’s cabin on a vacation or maybe after working for a bit she could afford a trip out to see him. That night after he went back to his apartment, she cried herself to sleep.

Then he moved out east. He texted her every day. She called him on Friday nights when she was lonely. They would sync up bad horror movies to watch together, and make fun of them, just like if they were really together. A few times he called her because his phone alerted him that it was storming where she was, and he just talked to her softly about his day and his trip to see the ocean and the first things he wanted to show her when she came for her visit. 

After that third such call, she looked into her company’s telework program. She would be eligible after her one-year anniversary. That night she called and asked if he’d be ok with a roommate. He was less hesitant that she had anticipated, especially for someone who had lived alone since they were able to move out of the dorms.   
  


The next six months happened at a snail’s pace. She didn’t really have much for furniture so when she did an initial visit to see Ben at Christmas, his parents insisted on buying her ticket, she brought an extra suitcase of things she wouldn’t need, her summer clothes and a few knick-knacks. Then every month after that she dropped a box off at the post office. Sometimes it was books and movies. Sometimes it was a few kitchen supplies that Leia had gifted her over the years. She wasn’t normally a material person, but she couldn’t bear to part from. The particle board furniture and second-hand lumpy mattress would find a new owner on the curb, just like she had found them.

When June came around again her lease was up, and she was on a plane with two suitcases. She was practically bouncing in her seat. It was one of the longest flights of her life. 

When she landed Ben was there taking her luggage and securing them in the car before wrapping her up in a hug and ushering her into the passenger seat. It was really the happiest he had looked and sounded in a long time.

The next few months passed smoothly, and she found herself tucked into him during storms. There was one day in November that he even took off work, saying the streets might be flooded by the afternoon with all the rain. She tried to bake him a cake for that occasion, but it turned out crumbly and dry. She decided to make apple nachos instead, they were really just apple slices with caramel sauce and chocolate chips, but she was a fan. He just shook his head and laughed when it seemed every bit of her was a sticky mess.

A couple weeks later she awoke from a nightmare, it wasn’t uncommon, but th,e nighttime storm gave her an excuse to see if Ben was awake to distract her. He wasn’t, but his door was ajar, as if he knew that she’d come looking for him. 

“Ben.” She whispered through the dark, he just grunted and rolled to face her, scooting back to make room. He lifted the covers for her to crawl under. Which she did, it was warm, it was perfect, and it was home. She tried not to think about it too much.

The winter passed and so did spring and then it was hurricane season again.

She really didn’t think about it too much when they had storm warnings for that evening, Ben was still planning on going to work. So, when he barged into their apartment, a couple hours early, wide eyed and panicked. While she sat there without a care in the world dribbling ice cream on her shirt… well she felt bad. She always had a bit of guilt about her little charade, but it hadn’t seemed to hurt anyone. Ben never said anything, encouraged it even.

When Ben took all of her in, he looked hurt and she felt like a monster. 

He made a quick escape to his room and she made quicker work pursuing him.

“Ben.” She said to his closed door. He told her he would be just a minute, but she walked in after a few moments because she couldn’t bear it.

It broke her to see him curled up on himself, his face in his hands and she hated herself just a little. Maybe all of her foster parents were right, she was more trouble than she was worth.

She walked up to him, she tried talking to him, but it was like he didn’t even hear her. When she stood in front of him and pulled him into her for a hug, he wrapped his arms around her and it nearly knocked her over in relief. Maybe this was fixable maybe they could be friends, maybe he would wait to kick her out until she found a new place. 

But then it seemed to tumble out of them, the years of misunderstanding and how much Ben wanted to be with her. It was soft and sweet, she felt this swelling in her chest. All their pieces finally fit together.

The sex was amazing, like he actually cared that she enjoyed herself. She wasn’t surprised, he had always shown an interest in the things that made her happy. Even that really terrible cake. 

She still doesn’t know if he slept that night, he held her tight like he was afraid he’d awake, and she’d be gone. The next night she tried to go back to her own bed, the storms had passed, after all. She was laying in her bed reading when Ben barged in throwing her blankets to the side and carried her back to his bed. Their bed. It gave her a little thrill that he was so possessive. 

The changes to their relationship were mere formalities. Rey slept in Ben’s bed and they turned the spare room back into an office/guest room. She did have to change one thing though. She had learned that wearing her little shorts in the morning often started with her being laid out on the bed or bent over the kitchen table and ended with Ben being late for work on three out of four occasions. 

After the third time she retired them to evenings and weekends.

The first year she lived there, Ben didn’t get to take her to all of the places he really wanted her to see. So, he took her to a vacation on the beach the next summer and asked her to marry him as they watched the storms roll in.

When their wedding turned into a disaster and his uncle Lando had disappeared back into the safety of the hotel they smiled and kissed. Both of them soaked to the skin and shaking from the cold. They couldn’t have been happier. 

They joked about naming their twins Storm and Thor and had a superhero themed baby shower. In reality they named them Lilly and Jack and were glad for it, especially once school started and there was a kid named Loki and another named Thanos because those kids were wild.

Yes, there were moments that Rey regretted that they didn’t get together sooner, but then she looked at the life she had, and she wouldn’t change a thing. Not the early morning tickle fights, the blanket forts, or the stories told on stormy nights where they were a tangle of arms and legs. 

No. She didn’t regret a single thing.


End file.
